Electronic device processing systems may include multiple process chambers arranged around a mainframe body including a transfer chamber and one or more load locks configured to pass substrates into the transfer chamber from an EFEM. These systems may employ a transfer robot, which may be resident in the transfer chamber, for example. The transfer robot may transport substrates from process chamber to process chamber, from load lock to process chamber, and vice versa.
Furthermore, processing of substrates in semi-conductor component manufacturing may be carried out in multiple tools, where the substrates travel between the tools in substrate carriers (e.g., Front Opening Unified Pods or FOUPs). The FOUPs may be docked to an EFEM (sometimes referred to as a “factory interface”), which includes a load/unload robot therein and that is operable to transfer substrates between the FOUPs and the one or more load locks of the tool.
However, such EFEMs may be deficient in some respects and in ease of assembly.